Brave Warriors pocket N$3.6 million from CHAN

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Otniel Hembapu
Windhoek-Namibia’s senior football side, the Brave Warriors, were handsomely rewarded with N$3.6 million ($300,000) by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for their participation at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament, which saw the country bow out in the quarter-finals.
Namibia left the biennial competition following a 2-0 defeat against host nation Morocco at the weekend, in a match that saw the Brave Warriors play their hearts out and socks off, but unfortunately the odds were stacked against the boys from the Land of the Brave.
According to an official CAF document, which reflects the various prize monies which teams stand to earn as they progress in the tournament, Namibia along with regional rivals Zambia, Angola and Congo each stand to pocket $300,000 (almost N$3.6 million at current exchange rate) for reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament.
In 2016, CAF increased the competition’s prize money across the board, with the winner of the 2018 CHAN tournament set to walk away with $1.25 million from the previous $750,000. The runner-up will receive $700,000, up from the previous $400,000, while the semi-finalists are guaranteed to take home $400,000 when compared to the previous $250,000.
The quarter-finalists will each get $300,000, up from the previous $175,000, while the 3rd group finisher gets $200,000 (previously $125,000).
Ahead of the Brave Warriors departure to the CHAN tournament in Morocco, the government – through the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC) – late last year gave the Namibia Football Association (NFA) N$10 million to help prepare the national team for CHAN and also assist with other logistical issues that come with preparing for a tournament of such magnitude.
The African Nations Championship, known as the Total African Nations Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a biennial football tournament organized by CAF exclusively featuring players playing in their respective countries’ national premier leagues.
Unlike the African Cup of Nations (Afcon), the competing national teams must be composed of players playing in their domestic leagues, not foreign-based players. For example, a Namibian player is only eligible to play for the Brave Warriors if he is playing for a Namibian club.
DR Congo are the defending champions but failed to qualify for the first time ever after losing to Congo on the away goals rule. New Era Reporter 2018-01-31 10:31:21 9 months ago